Sydney Bevington scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as Class 5A No. 5 Ralston Valley girls basketball beat Denver East 61-43.
Tag: Jeffco
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4A No. 1 Green Mountain girls basketball completes undefeated regular season
LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain junior Olivia Sears gave potential girls basketball playoff opponents something else to worry about in the Rams’ regular-season finale.
The Rams’ point guard drained five 3-pointers on her way to a career-high 17 points as Green Mountain defeated Evergreen 60-25 on Wednesday night.
“That’s never happened,” Sears said of her career-high five 3-pointers in one game. “I’ve never made that many 3s before. I was surprised.”
Green Mountain junior Avery Oaster (24) looks for an open teammate as Evergreen sophomore Jackie Donoho (11) plays tight defense. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) It wasn’t much of a surprise that Green Mountain (14-0 record) — No. 1 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 4A rankings — completed the program’s first undefeated regular-season record to add to its back-to-back Class 4A Jeffco League titles.
The Rams have won every game by double-digit points this year and have a 28-game conference winning streak dating back to the 2018-19 season.
“It’s really nice to see all our hard work pay off,” Green Mountain’s lone senior Courtney Hank said of the Rams going 14-0 during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s definitely scary not knowing if we are going to have another practice or game, but it made us work that much harder. I’m really looking forward to seeing how far we go this year.”
The formula of inside-outside offensively and a lockdown defense worked to a tee against Evergreen (10-4). Hank and junior Avery Oaster dominated in the paint early. Sears and sophomore Jayda Maves lit it up from 3-point range to give the Rams a commanding 38-8 lead at halftime.
Maves scored all of her 15 points in the first half. Sears got it going in the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and a driving layup. Junior Morgan Falconer came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer as the Rams had five straight field goals that were all 3-pointers in the second quarter.
“The inside-outside balance is so huge because we feel like we have an answer for a number of different defenses,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but I’m really happy about the career game for (Sears) and all the hard work she has put in.”
Hank went back to work down low in the second half to finish with 13 points, while Sears remained hot with a trio of 3-pointers after the break.
“A lot of players have stepped up this year,” Hank said. “It’s fun to work it inside and then you have a lot of shooters on the perimeter. Since we are so diverse and well-balanced that has contributed on how well we’ve done this season.”
The Cougars had their 4-game winning streak snapped in its regular-season finale before the start of the playoffs. However, Evergreen coach Maddy Hornecker believes her squad to take a lot away from the loss.
“I learned about how we want to play for the playoffs,” Hornecker said. “We came in here with nothing to lose.”
Evergreen junior Anna Jermano (4) and Green Mountain junior Shea Murphy (14) battle for a rebound Wednesday night at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Hornecker had a front-row seat being an assistant coach on Evergreen’s back-to-back 4A state championship teams in 2017 and 2018. She knows what it takes to win a state title.
“Obviously, all of us 4A Jeffco coaches were like, ‘How can get Green Mountain there?’ We want them to represent our conference,” Hornecker said. “What I have learned is the combination of a really good guard and a really good post. Green Mountain has two really good guards and two really good guards. That combination I hope carries them. I wish them nothing but the best.”
Pitzner said he appreciates all the support he has received from his fellow 4A Jeffco coaches leading up to the start of the state tournament that beings Tuesday, March 9.
“There are great coaches who have become friends in the this league. I love how we all support each other,” said Pitzner, who added that Evergreen has always been a tough opponent through the years and are all ways well-coached.
Green Mountain turns its attentions to the postseason and likely one of the top seeds for the 4A state tournament. With all games except the state title games Friday, March 19, at the World Arena in Colorado Springs being played at the higher-seed, the Rams likely will get a chance to play on their home court throughout the playoffs.
The Rams last loss came last season in the 4A state semifinals against Holy Family at the Denver Coliseum.
“There is nothing better than playing on your home court in your home jersey and home fans,” Hank said. “It will definitely give us a step up on our opponents.”
Pitzner said he will put valuable use to a handful of practices before the Rams’ playoff opener.
“We don’t want to take a breath of relief, but we are going to reset a little bit,” Pitzner said. “It is nice to be one of the first teams in the state to get your 14 games in.”
Green Mountain is actually the lone undefeated 4A team in the state. Falcon lost its first game of the year on Wednesday night to Columbine to leave the Rams as the only 14-0 girls team in 4A.
“We just have to be all-in, focused and sharp,” Sears said looking head of the Rams’ playoff run. “We have to be sharp in practices too.”
Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves sets up for a 3-pointer during the first half Wednesday night against Evergreen. Maves had a trio of 3-pointers in the first half in the Rams’ 60-25 victory to end Green Mountain’s regular season as the lone undefeated team in Class 4A. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photos: No. 10 Golden boys basketball beats Littleton
4A No. 10 Golden boys basketball got 20 points from Alan Acevedo, and beat Littleton 52-38.
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No. 5 Ralston Valley girls hoops wins 9th straight on Senior Night
ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Bailey Wall ended Senior Night appropriately for the Mustangs on Tuesday.
Wall came off the bench in the final minutes and sunk a 3-pointer just before the buzzer for the No. 5-ranked Mustangs to give Ralston Valley a 57-36 victory over Lakewood.
“She (Wall) has been with us for four years,” Bevington said of her fellow senior. “For her to hit that was big for her. We will all share that moment. I’m glad it happened. It was awesome.”
Ralston Valley freshman Sophia Sabus (22) goes up with her left hand while being guarded by Lakewood junior Briana Robles on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) What Ralston Valley (11-2 record) has done over the past month might not be defined as “awesome”, but the Mustangs have been pretty darn good riding a 9-game winning streak since losing to No. 2 Valor Christian back on Feb. 3.
The Mustangs cruised through the rest of Class 5A Jeffco League play with double-digit victories to finish runner-up to Valor in the conference. However, Ralston Valley had to hang on late against Mountain Vista a week ago before getting wins over Lewis-Palmer and Lakewood.
“We haven’t played great the last couple of games. We’ve played some really good quarters,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said. “We just haven’t put four together. Sometimes we just lose focus. We get a lead and then we take it out of gear.”
Ralston Valley got out of the gates quick with a 16-3 lead after the first quarter Tuesday. The Mustangs held a 31-12 lead at halftime, but Lakewood (6-7) battled back outscoring Ralston Valley 18-13 in the third quarter.
Lakewood juniors Logan Watson (12 points) and Briana Robles (9 points), along with senior Mariah Ramos (9 points) led the charge for the Tigers.
“We just watched them go to the basket the whole third quarter,” Gomer said of the Tigers’ 18-point quarter that allowed Lakewood to cut into Ralston Valley’s lead.
Ralston Valley was a bit frustrated not being able to put Lakewood away in the third quarter.
Ralston Valley senior Sydney Bevington (33) drives past Lakewood senior Mariah Ramos (22) on Tuesday night. Bevington scored a game-high 20 points during the Mustangs’ Senior Night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “We slipped up really bad in the third quarter. We wanted to come out after halftime and stomp on them, but we didn’t do that,” Bevington said. “We definitely need to work on that. We need to treat these games like we are playing a top team in the state.”
The Mustangs did get things going in the fourth quarter. Seymour, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, poured in the first six points of the final quarter to extend Ralston Valley’s lead.
“We just got a little lazy with our defense and rebounding in the third,” Seymour said. “The fourth quarter we needed to get going. We sped it up a little bit and made our shots. We did what we needed to do.”
Bevington had a game-high 20 points and junior Saya Sabus had 10 points. Wall, along with freshmen Sophia Sabus and Hannah Somorin each contributed a 3-pointer for the Mustangs. Senior McKenna Nichols went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line on Senior Night.
It was the final regular-season game for the Tigers. Lakewood was 25th in RPI to start the night, so Lakewood should make the 32-team 5A state tournament field. The state bracket is scheduled to be released Monday, March 8.
Ralston Valley has one final non-league game against Denver East at home Thursday night.
“We need to put all our little things together,” Seymour said heading into the playoffs. “We’ve had sporadicly good little spurts. We need to put it all together.”
Lakewood senior Mariah Ramos (22) takes it up between a trio of Ralston Valley players — Brooklyn Seymour (12), Hannah Somorin (23) and McKenna Nichols (12) — during the Tigers’ 18-point third quarter. It wasn’t enough as Ralston Valley pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 57-36 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
No. 10 Golden boys hoops leans on defense in win over No. 11 Green Mountain
LAKEWOOD — Good defense never has a bad shooting night on the basketball court.
Golden — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A boys basketball rankings — has taken that to heart over the past two weeks. The Demons (11-2 record) haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 50 points in five straight games over the last 15 days.
“That has been our focus. That is what we’ve been focusing in practice,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said of the Demons’ defensive performance during their 8-game winning streak. “We are challenging each other. We have 10 guys on our roster that are committed every day. They are getting after each other and everyone is getting better.”
Golden junior Richie Pruett elevates for a shot in the lane during the first half Monday night in the Demons’ 58-46 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Demons continued their lockdown defense Monday night against No. 11 Green Mountain. Golden spoiled senior night for the Rams with a 58-46 victory.
It was also a revenge victory. Green Mountain defeated Golden on the Demons’ home court 63-50 back on Feb. 3.
“Defensively I think our whole team played well,” said Golden junior James Lacey, who led the Demons with a season-high 17 points . “We talked a lot. Played help-side defense. It was all a team effort.”
Green Mountain (10-3) actually led 17-12 midway through the first quarter. However, the Rams went ice cold from the field for nearly 12 minutes. Golden went on a 20-0 run that was finally ended with 2:27 left in the second quarter when Green Mountain senior Darius Padilla made a 3-pointer for the Rams’ lone basket in the second quarter.
“We talked about not letting (Green Mountain) dictate play,” Vullo said. “We wanted to speed them up. We knew they would turn the ball over if we put some full-court pressure on them.”
Sophomore Aliou Diallo scored 13 of his 15 points for the Demons in the first half to push Golden’s lead to 33-20 at halftime. Lacey took over in the second half pouring in a dozen points after halftime.
“We have really been working with him,” Vullo said of Lacey. “Tonight the light came on.”
Golden sophomore Alan Acevedo (30) attracts a double-team under the basket Monday night against Green Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Green Mountain did make a surge in the fourth quarter led by senior Austin Peterson. The Rams’ leading scorer was in foul trouble the majority of the game, but made a trio of 3-pointers in the final five minutes. However, it was too late to overcome the double-digit deficit.
“I’m just so happy with my team,” Lacey said. “The defense has really been improving. It’s all about practice and teammate. It’s not an individual game. It might be in club basketball, but in high school it’s all about the team effort.”
Golden and Green Mountain were two of the hottest teams in 4A coming into Monday’s showdown. The Demons and Rams had a combined 13-game winning streak to start the final week of the regular season.
Golden finished third in the 4A Jeffco League standings behind No. 8 and league champion Evergreen and Green Mountain. The Demons suffered back-to-back conference losses to the Cougars and Rams, but have now avenged both of those losses in the second go-around in non-league games.
“We work on the things we are bad at in practice,” Lacey said. “That is why we are improving so much and have gotten on this streak.”
The Demons close out their regular-season schedule at Littleton on Wednesday night.
“We are really going to focus on Littleton. They are very well-coached,” Vullo said. “Hopefully we have some momentum going into the playoffs.”
The Rams have a big test against Evergreen on Wednesday night to wrap up their regular season.
CHSAA is scheduled to release the 32-team 4A state tournament bracket Monday, March 8. First-round games will be played Tuesday, March 9.
Green Mountain senior Darius Padilla (24) drives on Golden sophomore Aliou Diallo (2) during the second half Monday night at Green Mountain High School. The Demons won their eight straight game and held their opponent under 50 points for the fifth straight game in the 58-46 win over the Rams. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Nathan Johnson hired to take over Pomona football program
ARVADA — Nathan Johnson has been tabbed as the next football coach at Pomona High School in Arvada.
“It’s a storied program, very prideful school, community and culture up there. Especially with football,” Johnson said of Pomona. “I’ve been working toward that next step of becoming a head coach and wanted to throw my name in the hat. I was lucky enough to get an interview and now we are here.”
Nathan Johnson has been hired to take over Pomona’s football program. Johnson is an Arapahoe High School graduate and spent the past three years as the assistant head varsity football coach at Englewood High School. (photo provided) Johnson is an Arapahoe High School graduate and played college football at Adams State University before starting his coaching career. He spent four years as the JV head coach and varsity linebackers coach at Arapahoe, along with being an assistant wrestling coach at the school.
The last three years Johnson has been the assistant head varsity football coach at Englewood High School. The 29-year-old is making the jump to a program that former coach Jay Madden turned into a Class 5A powerhouse during his nearly two-decade run.
“I think the first thing is you have to build the trust in the players,” Johnson said of taking over for Madden. “Obviously I would never want to compare myself to Jay. What he built there was quite impressive.”
The Panthers advanced to the state semifinals six times and played in the 5A state title game four times during Madden’s tenure. Pomona won the 5A state championship in 2017.
“I need to make sure the players buy into what we are going to do as a coaching staff,” Johnson said. “But, the expectations are still going to be the same. We are going to be hardworking. We are going to be grinders. We are going to be tough.”
Pomona went 7-1 this past season and won the 5A Jeffco League title. The Panthers lost to eventual state champion Cherry Creek in the state semifinals.
“Looking at the schedule, it’s going to be a great challenge,” said Johnson, who was at Jeffco’s football stadium scheduling meeting on Friday, Feb. 26. “I’m excited for that challenge and I know our players are not afraid to play anyone. As a coaching staff we are going to prepare and plan to win every week.”
Pomona will return four first-team all-conference selections — Aaron Karas, Dom Nichols, Deion Maes and Chase Muller — to have give Johnson a solid foundation to build from looking ahead to the 2021 Fall football season.
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No. 10 Golden boys basketball stays hot with win over No. 7 Evergreen
GOLDEN — Timing is everything.
Golden’s boys basketball team has picked the right time to be playing its best basketball of the season. The Demons — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A rankings — won their seventh straight game Friday night with a 61-49 home victory over No. 7 Evergreen.
“We are a young team. It’s coming together,” said Golden sophomore Aliou Diallo, who scored a game-high 17 points. “When we start hitting shots we are a scary team.”
The Demons are frightening young with no seniors this year. Despite the youth, Golden (10-2 record) has put itself in position for a home seed for the state tournament that begins Tuesday, March 9.
Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano (1) went over the 1,000-point career scoring mark Friday night. Lauritano had 15 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Cougars suffered a road loss to Golden. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “It would be awesome,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said of possibility having a home game to open the playoffs. “We could be dangerous.”
After back-to-back losses three weeks ago against Evergreen and Green Mountain, the Demons have been unbeatable. The Cougars (9-3) had already won the 4A Jeffco League title with a 7-1 conference record and having defeated Golden and Green Mountain during conference play.
However, the Demons jumped out to a 22-12 lead after the first quarter and never looked back on its home court Friday night.
“Our mindset was just to get revenge,” Golden sophomore Alan Acevedo said of facing Evergreen again.
Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano led the charge for the Cougars in the second quarter cutting the Demons’ lead to 32-29 at halftime. Lauritano actually went over the 1,000-point career scoring mark in the second quarter. He finished with 15 points, but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
The start of the third quarter was key. Diallo drained a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second half and sunk another basket in the first minute of the third quarter to extend Golden’s lead to 37-29.
“It was really big. We talked about it at halftime to come out focused like we were in the first quarter,” Diallo said.
Golden junior Richie Pruett rips down a rebound during the Demons’ 7th straight victory Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Senior Jackson Mott had 14 points for the Cougars, but Golden’s defense wouldn’t allow Evergreen to get within striking distance.
“We have really been focusing on defense,” Vullo said after the Demons held the Cougars to just six made field goals in the second half Friday night. “Our defense was pitiful at the start. We’ve started to pick it up a little bit.”
Juniors Zach Weiler had a driving layup and Logan Brewer made a pair of free throws to close out the quarter for the Demons.
“We preach to the boys that it is super important how you start and end the quarter,” Vullo said. “We started and ended that third quarter well.”
Vullo actually hit a milestone himself this week. He picked up his 250th career varsity high school coaching victory with Wednesday’s win over Conifer.
Golden is Vullo’s third career coaching stop. He spent five years at Sheridan, nine years at Pinnacle and is in his third season coaching the Demons. It’s likely Golden will make the 32-team 4A state tournament which would make Vullo 17-for-17 when it comes to qualifying his teams to the postseason.
Evergreen senior Jackson Mott (10) goes up for a shot over Golden junior Logan Brewer (35) on Friday night at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Golden is on the road against Green Mountain (Monday) and Littleton (Wednesday) to wrap up things before brackets for the state tournament are released on Monday, March 8. First-round games are scheduled to begin Tuesday, March 9.
“We feel hungry and we aren’t going to stop,” Acevedo said. “
Green Mountain (10-2) is also hot. The No. 12 Rams have won six straight games after taking an 88-25 victory Friday night against Alameda International. Green Mountain defeated Golden 63-50 back on Feb. 3.
“Monday is really important,” Diallo said of the rematch against Green Mountain. “That is another one we have marked on our schedule because the first time they took advantage of us.”
Evergreen is scheduled to close out its regular season at Standley Lake (Monday) and at home against Green Mountain (Wednesday).
Golden sophomore Alan Acevedo (30) drives the lane against Evergreen during the second half Friday night. Acevedo poured in 16 points, including four 3-pointers in the first half to help the Demons to a 61-49 victory over the Class 4A Jeffco League champions. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photos: D’Evelyn boys basketball pulls away from Littleton
D’Evelyn boys basketball held a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter but pulled away to beat Littleton 63-50.
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Video: Jeffco Preps With Pleuss (March)
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. There was plenty of boys and girls basketball action in February with Season B sports in full swing. We have boys highlights from Chatfield vs. Columbine, Green Mountain vs. Golden and D’Evelyn vs. Evergreen. Green Mountain girls basketball team improved its 4A Jeffco League winning streak to 28 conference victories over the past three seasons winning back-to-back league titles. Boys wrestling got going and we have highlights of duals involving Columbine, Lakewood, Chatfield, Pomona and Jefferson. Girls wrestling teams from Chatfield and Pomona are two of the best in the state in the first year of the being a CHSAA-sanctioned sport.
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No. 2 Green Mountain girls hoops completes sweep of No. 10 D’Evelyn
DENVER — Green Mountain’s girls basketball team found that extra gear Wednesday night.
The Rams — No. 2 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls basketball rankings — got their biggest test of the season on the road against No. 10 D’Evelyn. The Jaguars suffered a 37-point loss to the Rams nine days earlier, but D’Evelyn was determined to give Green Mountain a better test the second time around.
“I was 100 percent sure that D’Evelyn was going to give us a great game and they did,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said after the Rams won their 11th straight on the season with a 78-53 victory. “I’m really proud of our girls how they stepped up.”
Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves (23) goes up strong against D’Evelyn junior Maddie Topping (10) during the first quarter Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The game was much closer than the final 25-point margin. D’Evelyn (10-2 record) cut Green Mountain’s lead to 56-46 with a 3-pointer by freshman Macy Scheer to open the fourth quarter. However, the Rams (11-0) outscored the Jaguars 22-7 the rest of the game to win going away.
“I’m super proud,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said of his Jaguars. “We talked about bouncing back. You sometimes don’t get a lot of chances to make up for something bad. Keeping it a 10-point game through three quarters is a feat against (Green Mountain).”
D’Evelyn pressure defense and much better shooting than its previous meeting with Green Mountain kept the Jaguars within striking distance for the majority of the game. Freshmen Macy Scheer and Peyton Marvel, along with junior Maddie Topping combined to lead D’Evelyn with 35 points.
However, in the end the talented Rams were just too much for the Jaguars to handle.
“This shows how good we can be,” Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves said.
Maves finished with 15 points, despite missing more than five minutes of the first quarter. The sophomore was fouled on a driving layup and hit her head against the padded wall behind the basket. After getting checked out by D’Evelyn trainer she was back on the court in the second quarter.
“Catching my breath was probably the hardest thing,” Maves said recovering after going full-force into the wall on the layup attempt. “I wanted to go back in no matter what.”
D’Evelyn junior Maddie Topping (10) drives on Green Mountain junior Shea Murphy (14) during the second half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Maves ended up scoring 13 points in the second half.
It was a balanced scoring attack for the Rams as all five starters — Maves, Olivia Sears, Shea Murphy, Avery Oaster and Courtney Hank — finished in double-digit points. The starters combined for 70 points.
“Courtney and I definitely have a really good chemistry, but it isn’t just us. It’s a whole team thing,” Oaster said of how her and Hank dominated inside at times against the undersized Jaguars. “All of us shine during our moments because we are all working together.”
Hank finished with a game-high 21 points and Oaster finished with 14 points all in the paint or from the free-throw line.
“Our kids just get so tired trying to defend that,” Olson said of Hank and Oaster inside. “What I think they do so well in they are composed and don’t rush things. They are methodical how they play in the post.”
Green Mountain is well on its way to what D’Evelyn’s girls basketball program accomplished earlier this decade. The Jaguars won four straight 4A Jeffco titles from 2012 to 2015. D’Evelyn was 4A state runner-up in 2012 and 2013.
Evergreen took over the mantle of the dominant team in 4A Jeffco with three straight trips to the 4A championship game. Coach Amy Bahl led the Cougars to back-to-back 4A state titles in 2017 and 2018.
“This year we definitely have that window and we have to take advantage of it because we have Courtney,” Oaster said of last year’s 4A Jeffco League MVP and only starting senior for the Rams this year.
Another hurdle that Rams have in front of them is advancing to a state championship game. Green Mountain came close last season, losing to Holy Family 38-31 in the 4A state semifinals at the Denver Coliseum the day before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the state basketball tournament.
Green Mountain senior Courtney Hank (33) scored a game-high 21 points in the Rams’ victory Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Olson, who guided those D’Evelyn teams to the state champion game twice nearly a decade ago, believe the Rams have what it takes to be that next 4A Jeffco team to go after a state title.
“They are definitely in that caliber,” Olson said of Green Mountain being a state championship contender this season. “You saw how they just blew this game open. It was a 10-point game and then all the sudden it’s a 25-point lead. I think they have a great shot. They have all the pieces.”
Green Mountain has a road game next week at Golden before closing out the regular season at home against Evergreen before the state tournament begins Tuesday, March 9.
“We are very excited and we have scoped out some teams be might play in the state tournament,” Maves said. “We are just so excited to finish up and hopefully become state champs for 2021.”
D’Evelyn is scheduled to host Littleton on Friday before travels to Wheat Ridge next week to prepare for its postseason run.
“This will help us moving forward and I hope it helps (Green Mountain),” Olson said. “We talked a little bit about the responsibility to our league and helping each other to get better.”
The back-to-back 4A Jeffco League champs and Falcon are the two remaining undefeated teams in 4A, but Pitzner know how tough it is to reach that state championship game.
“I’m optimistic about where we are at, but cautiously because I know how good the top 4A talent is,” Pitzner said. “I know we have work to do, but I’m excited and I love coming to practice every day. These girls are willing to do the work that it takes.”
Green Mountain junior Olivia Sears (2) drives on D’Evelyn senior Megan Stein (11) during the top-10 match-up. The Rams took a 78-53 victory where all five started finished with double-digit points. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)